The SocialFi Zora platform is launching a new format for speculating on trends. The Solana network now features so-called attention markets, where users can open positions on topics that are just starting to gain popularity online.
The idea is simple. A user can bet that a certain hashtag, meme, or news item will go viral. The site puts it this way:
‘Trade what is trending. Open positions on any idea, meme, or moment before it goes viral.’
Co-founder Zora Jacob Horne explained that launching a single trend costs 1 SOL, which is currently about $85. This threshold is needed to reduce spam. At the same time, the ‘trends’ themselves do not provide rewards for their creators.
Monetization appears at the ‘pair’ level. Within each trend, separate trading pairs can be created, and these are what give authors the opportunity to earn.
In its promo video, Zora showed examples of pairs $redlight and $coldplunge within the $longevity trend.
Traders have already started testing the new mechanics. Among the most traded tickers at launch were attentionmarkets, longevity, cats, dogs, bitcoin and aigirlfriend.
Dashboard of leading trends in the attention market. Source: Zora
The interface allows you to trade trends and pairs like regular tokens. The dashboard displays profit and loss in real time.
The market reacted positively to the news. The ZORA token rose by 6.2% over the past day to $0.022. Meanwhile, the overall crypto market fell by about 1.2% over the same period.
The launch coincided with the growing popularity of prediction markets, which now consistently exceed $10 billion in monthly trading volume and are increasingly moving into the mainstream.
At the same time, Zora posted a job opening for an ‘attention economist.’ The company is looking for someone who lives online and can spot future trends before they even have a name. The description mentions TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and X as the main sources of signals.
Base Community Unhappy With Zora’s Move to Solana
Integration with Solana sparked a sharp reaction from part of the Base community. The reason is simple. Last year, Zora actively moved its operations to Base, and in April even launched its first token there.
Moreover, in July Zora participated in the launch of Creator Coins linked to Base profiles. Activity was so high at the time that Base temporarily overtook Solana in the number of tokens created per day.
Against this backdrop, the launch of the attention markets platform specifically on the Solana network was seen by many as a pivot.
Degen memecoin developer in the Base network, Jacek Trocinski, called this move ‘truly disappointing,’ stating that Zora essentially changed direction as soon as the market environment shifted.
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Other community members were even harsher. The creator of Veil Cash under the nickname Apex777.eth accused the project of extracting maximum benefit from the Base ecosystem and then switching to Solana with a new model.
Meanwhile, Base creator Jesse Pollak took a more reserved position. He emphasized that tools for creators from Zora continue to work fully on the Base network and noted that he is glad to see experiments that expand the overall on-chain market.
Facts also add to the tension. In January, the ZORA token was launched on the Solana network. The project’s X profile now lists Solana as its location. Zora has not mentioned Base for several months.
Nevertheless, there has been no official statement about a complete departure from Base . Zora representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
